Combination telephone stand and telephone directory secretary



J. G. HUNTER COMBINATION TELEPHONE STAND AND TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SECRETARY Filed Aug. 9, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm John 5'.

J. G. HUNTER- Oct. 1, 1935.

COMBINATION TELEPHONE STAND AND TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SECRETARY Filed. Aug. 9. 1934 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 1, 1935 COMBINATION TELEPHONE STAND AND TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SECRETARY John G. Hunter, Columbus, Ohio Application August 9, 1934, Serial No. 739,141

6 Claims.

1 that supports a memorandum telephone directory and memorandum pad, which, when the door of the cabinet is in the open position, will assume a convenient position for supporting the pad or tablet for writing thereon, and which is automatically folded in to permit the container to assume the closed position.

Further, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved structure having the above characteristics in which there is a casing having a drop door hinged thereto and provided with braces to hold it horizontally as a desk, a shelf being rigidly mounted in the casing and supporting a paper rack and itself having a grooved portion constituting a pen and pencil rack; a leaf which is adapted to carry a memorandum pad and a small directory in which telephone numbers frequently called may be kept, is hingedly carried by the hinged door adjacent its hinge, the shelf carrying a device that cooperates with the leaf to hold it in useful position when the hinged door is open and to deflect the leaf away from the paper rack as the door is closed,'the movement of the leaf being under the combined influence of gravity and that of the moving door.

Further, it is an object to provide a secretary of the kind indicated of such construction that a telephone instrument may be located within the casing or be located on top of the casing outside thereof at will, there being an illuminating means in the top of the casing so designed and constructed as to illuminate the telephone instrument both when it is located within the casing and when it is disposed outside and on top of the casing.

Further, it is an object to provide a secretary having the above mentioned characteristics and in addition thereto being so constructed that when the casing is closed no light rays will escape from the cabinet or be visible from the outside thereof.

Again, it is an object to provide a new and improved simplified means to hold the telephone directory to the inner face of the hinged door without its interfering with the hinged leaf and its carried articles during the opening and closing of the door and in a manner to enable the free and unobstructed turning of the leaves of the book when in use.

Further, the invention seeks to improve the secretary which constitutes the invention of my 5 application filed July 21, 1932, Serial No. 623,895,. particularly in the elimination of the externally disposed reflector 29 therein disclosed as well as in other features of construction which will be apparent on comparison of the drawings of this 10 application with those of the application aforesaid.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of my improved secretary closed.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail vertical .section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 with the doors open.

Figure 4 isa detail vertical section on the line 44 of Figure 3. Y

Figure 5 is a plan of the top of the cabinet with the top door open.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross section showing a modification of the invention.

In the drawings in which like numerals of ref erence designate like parts in all of the figures, it 35,

will be seen that the secretary comprises a body which is preferably supported at a suitable height by standards I having feet 48, the standards being suitably cross-braced at 42. The upper extremities of the standards I may constitute the 40 7 sides 3 of the cabinets body, the body being composed of the bottom 2, sides 3:, back wall 5, top 41--4, and front I2-'-I323.

The front of the cabinet body is composed of a fixed front panel l3 and a hinged closure or door 23, the closure being hinged along the lower edge to the bottom 2 as at 24. The closure 23 also has a flange 26 on three sides, the top flange having an extension 21 for a purpose presently explained.

The top of the cabinet is composed of two fixed 1 panels 4-4 spacedapart and a top door 1 between these panels, hinged at 8 to the back wall 5. The opposite edges of the panels 4-4 are stepped as at 6 to receive the side flanges 9 of the door I when it is closed to prevent light from within the 645;:

cabinet passing through the joint. The top faces of the panels 44 and that of the top door I lie flush when the door is closed.

When opened the door 'I is held up by resting against a suitable stop Ill, there being a knob I I provided on the door, by means of which it may be raised and lowered.

A molding l 2 is fitted around the front and two sides of the cabinet in the plane of the top and adds to the ornamental appearance of the secretary, as well as serving to prevent the escape of light rays under the front edge of the door I when it is closed.

Beneath the door I and below the plane of the top is secured a metal plate IT. This plate is made fast to the back wall 5 and has its front edge resting on a ledge I4 in the rear or inner face of the front panel I3, thus forming the bottom of a well in which and on the plate I! a telephone set may be placed when the door I is in the opened position.

The front panel 83 has a recess l5 in its front edge to cooperate with a similar recess 28 in the door 23 for passing the telephone cord 44 of the telephone set 43 when it is desired to rest the set in the top well instead of leaving it in the cabinet.

The electric circuit of the light bulb l8 may be controlled by a suitable switch set into the back of the front panel IS with the button I6 thereof passed through to the front outside of the panel. The bulb I8 is supported on a suitable bracket 19 and is who-11y located within the top part of the cabinet beneath the plate ll.

At each side of the plate I? and spaced therefrom, suitable reflectors 23 are mounted in the cabinet, and the under surfaces of the top panels 4 from the reflectors 28 to the stepped edge 6 are inclined upwardly to provide light passes 22 around and over the side edges of the plate I! to a telephone standing in the well on the plate thereby to illuminate the dial.

The closure 23 has a knob 25 by the use of which the closure may be moved to the open and closed positions.

The flange extension 21 of the closure 23 serves to overlie the recesses I528 when the door is closed to prevent light rays being visible from the outside of the cabinet.

Suitable articulated braces 29, hinged at 30 to the side walls 3 and at 3| to the door 23, serve to hold the door horizontal as a desk when fully opened.

Adjacent the hinged edge of the door or closure 23 is a cleat 32 that is fixed to the door in any suitable way. This cleat performs a two-fold function, namely it serves as a back stop for the telephone directory 49, which is held to the door at its front edge by a U-shaped spring clip 33 that clips over the directory and has one leg located in a bore or hole 34 in the door. The other function of the cleat is to support a hinged leaf.

Rigidly secured to the back wall 5 of the cabinet and at a suitable height above the bottom 2 is a shelf 35 having pen and pencil rack grooves 36 and sustaining a paper rack 31.

Secured to and projecting forwardly from the shelf 35 is a leaf deflector and rest 40 on which the upper free edge of a leaf 38 lies. The lower edge of the leaf 38 is hinged at 39 to the cleat 32. The shelf 35, leaf 38, rack 37 and cleat 32 are so designed and correlated that on opening and closing the door 23 the free end of the leaf 38 will not strike against or engage the rack 31 but will be deflected upwardly and away from the rack.

The back wall 5 has a hole 4! to pass the telephone cord 44 and the telephone 43 may be contained Within the cabinet, resting on the bottom 2, or it may be placed in the well in the top of the cabinet when the top door I is open, as may be found most convenient.

A calendar 45 may be mounted in any suitable way on the front wall of the rack 31 and a memorandum telephone directory 46 and a memo randum pad 41 may be suitably mounted on the leaf 38.

It will be seen that the height of the cleat-32 is less than the distance from the door 23 tothe shelf 35 so that when the door is closed the leaf 38 will still incline rearwardly and will not fall forward and interfere with the telephone book 49.

If found desirable the plate I! may have an opening or openings 5| in the front, and a front l reflector 58 may be provided to reflect light rays over the telephone dial from the front as well as from the sides, see Figure 6.

Other modifications of the details of structo the desk supported telephone book, memoran- 5 dum book and paper rack as the same constitutes the subject matter of my original application,

filed November 1, 1932, Serial No. 640,716.

From the foregoing description, taken in conthought the complete construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is:

1. A secretary of the kind indicated having a chambered body provided with a closure constituting the major portion of its front wall, the remainder of said front wall being composed of a fixed front panel located at the top of the body,

means to hinge said closure along its bottom edge to the bottom of said body, a brace for sustaining said closure in approximately horizontal position when opened, said body adapted to contain a telephone, a telephone directory and a bracket supported electric light bulb, the bulb being 10- cated within said body at the top thereof and behind the front panel, the top of said, body having an opening, a plate within the chambered body located adjacent said opening of the top but below the level thereof and above said light bulb for sustaining a telephone, and reflectors within the top portion of said body for directing light rays from beneath said plate over the edges thereof into the top opening above the plate toilluminate a telephone thereon.

2. A secretary of the kind indicated having a chambered body provided with a closure constituting the major portion of its front wall, the remainder of said front wall being composed of a fixed front panel located at the top of the body, means to hinge said closure along its bottom edge to the bottom of said body, braces for sustaining said closure in approximately horizontal position when opened, said body adapted to contain a telephone, a telephone directory and a bracket supported electric light bulb, the bulb being located within said body at the top thereof and behind said front panel, the top of said body having a door opening, a top door for closing said door opening, a plate within the chambered body 10- 'nection with the accompanying drawings it is 35 stituting the major portion of its front wall, the

remainder of said front wall being composed of a fixed front panel located at the top of the body, means to hinge said closure along its bottom edge to the bottom of said body, braces for sustaining said closure in approximately horizontal position when opened, said body adapted to contain a telephone and a bracket supported electric light bulb," the bulb being located within said body at the top thereof, and behind said front panel, the top of said body having a door opening, a top door for closing said door opening, a plate within the chambered body located adjacent to said door opening of the top but below the level thereof and above said light bulb for sustaining a telephone when the top door is opened, and reflectors within the top portions of said body for directing light rays from beneath said plate around edges thereof into the top door opening above the plate to illuminate a telephone thereon, said top and its door having overlapping joints to shut off the escape of light rays while the top door is closed, the top surface of said cabinet being flush with the outer surface of the closed top door.

4. A secretary of the kind indicated having a chambered body provided with a closure constituting the major portion of its front wall, the

remainder of said front wall being composed of,

a fixed front panel located at the top of the body, means to hinge said closure along its bottom edge to the bottom of said body, braces for sustaining said closure in approximately horizontal position when opened, said body adapted to contain a telephone directory and a bracket supported electric light bulb, the bulb being located within 5 said body at the top thereof and behind said front panel, the top of said body having a door opening, a top door for closing said door opening, a plate within the chambered body located adjacent to said door opening of the top but'below the level thereof and above said light bulb for sustaining a telephone when the'top door is opened, and reflectors within the top portions of said body for directing light rays from beneath said plate around edges thereof into the top door opening above the plate to'illuminate a telephone thereon, said front panel and said closure having complemental elongated recesses for passing a telephone cord, said closure having a flange overlying and extending beyond said recesses to shut off the escape of light rays when the secretary is closed.

5. A secretary having a top panel, an opening in said panel, means for closing said opening, a shelf positioned beneath said opening and spaced 25 from said panel and adapted to support a dial telephone, reflectors mounted in said desk adjacent said shelf, a light source beneath the shelf, said reflectors being arranged to reflect light from said source to the dial of said telephone.

6. A secretary having a top panel, an opening in said panel, a shelf positioned beneath said opening and spaced from said panel and adapted to support a dial telephone, a reflector mounted in said desk adjacent each end of said shelf, a 35 light source beneath said shelf, said reflectors being arranged to reflect the light from said source to the dial of said telephone from opposite directions.

JOHN G. HUNTER. 40 

